Phishing, vishing, smishing and pharming may sound like a foreign language or the latest dance moves, but according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s latest Internet Crime Report, they are the leading crimes of the internet. These are words you need to become familiar with because anyone using a computer or smartphone could join nearly 324,000 victims who lost over $44 million to these crimes in 2021. Business Email Compromise (BEC) and Email Account Compromise (EAC) – two ways that phishing can transpire – also cost businesses and consumers $2.4 billion.
This blog explores these crimes in more detail to help you avoid becoming another statistic – especially if you’re involved in a real estate transaction.
Why Are These Crimes on the Rise?
The reason is simple. More people than ever are online and deception is much harder to spot than it used to be. These days, cybercriminals are more likely to contact you pretending to be someone you know and trust, like a family member, friend, coworker, or business associate. They find your contacts by hacking into unsecure email accounts, searching the internet or public records and browsing your social media accounts, then trick you into giving out financial information or login credentials they can use to steal data or funds.
Terms & Tactics
According to the FBI, each crime below targets a different form of communication, but all are designed to trick you into giving cybercriminals information they shouldn’t have access to.
• Phishing – These scams target email, often using spoofing techniques (slight variations on legitimate email addresses) to fool victims into thinking fake accounts are authentic.
For example, they may send email from an address like this: jane.doe@oldrepubictitle.com (where the name of the company is slightly misspelled, but the difference is often undetected by many recipients) instead of using the legitimate email address: jane.doe@oldrepublictitle.com.
BEC, which targets business emails, and EAC, which targets personal emails, are phishing scams designed to dupe the email recipient into performing the unauthorized transfer of funds.
• Vishing – These scams happen over the phone, voice email, or VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol). Bad actors call claiming to represent a legitimate business but provide a fake phone number or website so they can intercept your funds.
• Smishing – These scams target SMS (text) messages, often by enticing recipients to click on a link. Doing so can download malicious code onto your phone, which could damage or disable it.
• Pharming– Not to be confused with real estate farming, these scams occur when malicious code is installed on your computer to redirect you to fake websites. Cybercriminals hope you don’t notice, so they can steal your account number or password when you attempt to log on.
2021 Crime Recap
The FBI formed the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in May 2000 to investigate and report on new and growing crimes. Here’s a breakdown of their 2021 Internet Crime Report.
Key Findings
- Americans filed 847,376 complaints of internet crime – the highest on record.
- Financial loss from all forms of internet crime exceeded $6.9 billion – up 64 percent from 2020.
- Phishing, vishing, smishing and pharming increased 34 percent from 2020.
- BEC and EAC caused the most financial loss (35 percent) of any internet crime.
- Total financial loss due to BEC and EAC was $2.4 billion – up 28 percent from 2020.
- The average loss per email fraud incident was $120,074 – up nearly 25 percent from 2020.
Real Estate Transactions
It’s worth noting that IC3 created a category just for real estate crimes because the fraud and loss associated with these transactions is so high. Real estate deals are appealing to many cybercriminals because of the large payout. They also know that closing on a home can be a stressful time for consumers, who may not question any last-minute changes to wiring instructions that appear to come from someone handling their transaction.
Whether you are a real estate professional, a title agent, or a consumer, it is vital to remain vigilant throughout the entire transaction. Closing agents should communicate clearly and upfront to all parties about how the closing and funding processes will occur. Buyers and sellers should be aware that changes to wire instructions are rare. Always verify these requests by calling a TRUSTED phone number before wiring funds. Never use phone numbers that appear in unsolicited communications.
Cybersecurity Resources
Own a business? Learn more about how to protect it in Top Cybersecurity Threats to Your Business on Old Republic Title’s Company blog. If you’re looking for educational materials to share with your clients, check out our Wire Fraud Prevention Flyer and Beware of Wire Fraud Flyer. The American Land Title Association also offers a template for responding to cybersecurity incidents.
Consumers can take an active role in protecting themselves from internet crime. To learn about the latest scams and warnings, visit IC3’s Consumer Alerts page. Explore Old Republic Title’s Company blog for tips to spot phishing attempts, prevent wire fraud and respond to suspected wire fraud.